With a straight ticket vote no longer a choice, clerk urges election day preparations
Ottawa County Clerk and Register of Deeds Justin Roebuck says
that his office is preparing for longer wait times on Election Day, due to a
federal court ruling on September 5 that removed the “straight ticket voting”
option from the November General Election ballot.
Straight ticket voting has been used in Michigan and in
some other states to allow voters to mark one office for the party of their
choice and automatically select each candidate in that party. Voters have always had the option to vote for
whomever they prefer. However, straight ticket voting gave voters the option to
mark a ballot more quickly by making one mark, rather than for each candidate
in that party.
Without straight ticket voting, elections officials are
expecting that time in the voting booth may increase by up to several minutes
per voter. “We are already preparing for higher than normal turnout for the
November Election, and the removal of the straight ticket option will likely
further increase the amount of time it takes to vote,” he said.
Local election officials will have more voting booths
available to accommodate the additional time needed to cast a ballot. “There
are several additional things that voters can do to ease the voting process,” Roebuck
said. These include:
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Make a
plan. Voters can find their polling location and a copy of their
sample ballot online at Michigan.gov/vote. Researching candidates and proposals
prior to Election Day can help reduce the amount of time voters need in the
voting booth.
-
Vote
during slower times. There are usually shorter wait times between
9am and 12pm and again between 1pm and 4pm.
-
Vote
absentee (if eligible). Michigan voters may be eligible to vote
by absentee ballot. If you meet any of the following criteria, you may be able
to cast a ballot by mail: You expect to be absent from the community in
which you live during voting hours; You are over the age of 60; You are physically unable to attend the polls; You cannot attend the polls due to the tenets
of your religion.
Voters who qualify to vote absentee may
pick up an absentee ballot at their local clerk’s office, or a ballot may be
mailed to them. Voters can find their local clerk’s information online at
Michigan.gov/vote.
Absentee ballots will be available at local clerk’s offices
beginning in late September. Voters may pick up an absentee ballot in person at
their local clerk’s office until 4pm on Monday, November 5th. Local clerks are also required to hold office
hours on Saturday, November 3 to accommodate absentee ballots on the weekend
prior to the election.
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